The mortal remains of Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja 'Nimsdai, have arrived in the United Kingdom, where he is due to receive a guard of honour at his funeral, according to the president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) UK.

“We have been informed that Nimsdai’s body has arrived in the UK, and his funeral is scheduled toward the end of August,” Prem Gaha Magar, president of NRNA UK told Everest Chronicle. Nimsdai’s family received his remains on August 9 and they have since been kept at an undisclosed location for security reasons, Magar said.

Those wishing to attend the funeral have been asked to register by August 22. Organisations and individuals intending to participate should contact Magar by the deadline, he said.

The decision to honour Nimsdai in Britain has reignited criticism among Nepali diaspora groups over what they describe as a failure by Nepal to formally recognise one of its most celebrated mountaineers.

“The Nepal government did not honour Nimsdai or even issue a proper condolence message. He is receiving state honour in the UK,” Magar said. “It reminded me of the plight of Tenzing Norgay.”

Magar drew a comparison with Edmund Hillary, who was widely honoured in Nepal, while Tenzing Norgay spent his later years in India.

Nimsdai, a former British Gurkha soldier, became one of the world’s best-known high-altitude climbers after completing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in just over six months in 2019. He later continued to set records on the world’s highest mountains. He holds 18 Guinness World Records.

Nimsdai was among 10 climbers killed when an avalanche swept an international expedition on Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on July 30. Six of those killed were Nepali.

Despite his international following and popularity among young Nepalis, the Nepal government did not make arrangements to bring his remains back to Nepal, Magar said.

Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa was the only senior political figure to publicly call for Nimsdai’s body to be brought to Nepal, even briefly, so that people could pay their final respects.

“Nepal failed to capitalise on Nimsdai badly. Even after his death, it did not realise the importance of honouring him,” Magar said. “In fact, we have been asking the Nepal government to declare him a national hero.”

NRNA UK has formally written to Prime Minister Balendra Shah calling for Purja to be declared a national hero. Magar made the demand in an open letter on behalf of British Gurkhas, the Nepali diaspora in Britain and Nepali communities around the world.

In Nepal, Member of Parliament Indira Magar has also called for Purja to be declared a national hero.

Magar said Nimsdai’s service in the British Army should not be seen as diminishing his Nepali identity.

“Nepalis who joined the British Army and now live in the UK should not be dismissed as though they are no longer Nepali,” he said. “Recognition should not be confined to a demand for citizenship.”

Nepalis have served the British Crown for 210 years, and those who are recruited today are recruited under the 1947 agreement. "Nepal should not say they are not Nepali. They will always be Nepali," said Magar.

Purja, Magar said, had sought to inspire people beyond national, ethnic or religious boundaries.

“Nimsdai wanted to serve all of humanity, not just a particular community or creed. He put Nepal on the global map and became a global personality,” he said. “The Nepal government should not squander this moment.”

Earlier this month, NRNA UK organised a memorial and condolence event at Princess Garden in Aldershot.

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Prem Gaha Magar

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